One or two phased arrays seen in the series - in use and not
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Many buildings had multiple antennas pointing in different directions when I was in Athens in 1987. They didnât just have one mast, they usually had multiple masts. I read that Greece had lots of illegal and later legal and quasi-legal private TV stations. That could be the reason why.
Greece wasnât alone in switching from SECAM to PAL. Many Eastern European countries also switched over.
At one point Athens had nearly every channel occupied back in the analogue days. Very messy.
Yes, much of Eastern Europe went from SECAM to PAL after the iron curtain fell.
How long was it like that for?
Three minutes i believe.
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I found this 9 News Gold Coast clip in my archives from 2004 about digital TV starting transmissions on the Gold Coast:
Not sure where itâs from.
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I found something really bizarre. Bannockburn is in the Ballarat/Western VIC TV1 license area, yet there is no local repeater for such services. Not only that, the Melbourne offerings seem to be booming into Bannockburn at OK levels.
Itâs even weirder when Bannockburnâs Bendigo Bank closure was covered by WIN News on 3rd July 2025, but Bannockburn locals could not see it. Very few parts of Bannockburn can get Ballarat but chances of a signal are weak to none.
Shouldnât Bannockburn be in the Melbourne TV1 license area instead?
Itâs called fortuitous reception.
TV signals donât follow artificial boundaries. If people in Bannockburn wanted to watch TV from Ballarat, it would be possible. But why bother if they can get good reception of Melbourne stations.
Thatâs also the commercial reality of repeaters, unless it is actually a coverage blackspot thereâs not going to be an investment in translator services, even if nominally it is an untapped part of the on paper license area.
They would have the right to a translator service, but the networks would lose money chasing small numbers on their fringes.
The coverage is relevant to Ballarat as people closer in, who do rely on Ballarat for their TV might find Bannockburn the closest branch, plus it feeds into the general story of banks closing branches.
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Reception of Ballarat TV from Bannockburn was never really a thing. Even in Analogue days it was generally only pubs that got it with tall masts and amplifiers etc.
Some of the Market Area maps donât match reality.
And it was never designed to be an exact science, terrain means you canât always cover everywhere and the cost of installing repeaters to fill in every nook and cranny isnât cost effective.
Iâve just noticed that ACMA has released a consultation paper on varying the Riverland & Mt Gambier TLAPs.
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Could the people of Bannockburn get enough funds to get a self-help repeater of the Ballarat stations or if they get the Melbourne stations well enough, a case of why bother?
Why bother when you can stream Free TV channels on the InternetâŚ
Exactly. If theyâve managed this far as is, why bother now.
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Could they lobby the ACMA to move Bannockburn into the Melbourne LAP? But you are right, why bother?
Thatâs what I was saying. If Bannockburn is moved into the Melbourne LAP, then it would make sense. Bannockburn is a suburb of Geelong and thatâs final.
True, Bannockburn should really be in the Melbourne LAP. The map should be fixed to include Bannockburn in said LAP. Otherwise they wouldâve gotten a UHF translator for the Ballarat service installed by now.
But maybe I guess they didnât do so because otherwise there was a possibility of the signals spilling into the Geelong area? Which is part of the Melbourne LAP. Maybe they didnât want a repeat of what happened in Wollongong with their services spilling into Sydney?
i donât understand this intense focus on Bannockburn? If they receive TV from Melbourne/Mt Dandenong fortuitously then good on them. May they enjoy many hours of viewing. Fixing an artificial line in a map isnât going to achieve anything? TV signals donât stick to exact borders and moving a line on a map isnât going to spring up local TV translators automatically â though from what Iâm reading there is no need for that, anyway?.
Without going through the entire backlog of messages, what is the actual problem that needs solving?
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I think @Radio_TVGuy had a problem with why WIN News Ballarat was covering the closure of a bank in Bannockburn when they couldnât receive for some reason?
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